Radio 3 online-only 'chill' service to go ahead without public interest test

[AuntDaisy]

... and so it goes on, but could be described in two words: Easy Listening.

Spot on.

Bring back the Light Programme, Home Service & Third Programme

[french frank]

The Classical Calm brief has some interesting parts...

So will online-only Radio 3 Chill actually get more listeners than Radio 3, pulling in all these new-to-classical listeners plus all the current, relatively new, listeners seeking to escape the intellectual rigours of Composer of the Week and The Early Music Show? R3 Chill with 2.5m listeners and Radio 3 with 0.5m?

[oddoneout]

The Classical Calm brief has some interesting parts...

A gusset?

[AuntDaisy]

A gusset?

Brilliant.

[AuntDaisy]

So will online-only Radio 3 Chill actually get more listeners than Radio 3, pulling in all these new-to-classical listeners plus all the current, relatively new, listeners seeking to escape the intellectual rigours of Composer of the Week and The Early Music Show? R3 Chill with 2.5m listeners and Radio 3 with 0.5m?

I hope not! CFM must be quaking in their boots.

"intellectual rigours of COTW & EMS" = elitism

[Ein Heldenleben]

The Classical Calm brief has some interesting parts...

Thanks AD . In the tender doc is there any guide budget? Might throw my hat in the ring …

I don’t think I will . It’s £62700 for 57 x
3 hour eps excluding presenter . That is tough.
Just read the whole doc . The hoops the Beeb make Radio production companies jump through for a lousy 60 grand . It’s just not a business.

[AuntDaisy]

Thanks AD . In the tender doc is there any guide budget? Might throw my hat in the ring …

I don’t think I will . It’s £62700 for 57 x
3 hour eps excluding presenter . That is tough.
Just read the whole doc . The hoops the Beeb make Radio production companies jump through for a lousy 60 grand . It’s just not a business.

Thanks - you're in a position to understand what's involved.

The other briefs (see earlier post links) also have similar prices (& the submission deadline is tomorrow.)
As French Frank said, will they eat in to R3's budget?

This bit made me smile "After assessment, shortlisted suppliers will be invited to a pitch with the Commissioning Team via Microsoft Teams where we request that they do not use PowerPoint or play any video content." Why? Are they expecting them to act out a programme?

[Ian Thumwood]

So will online-only Radio 3 Chill actually get more listeners than Radio 3, pulling in all these new-to-classical listeners plus all the current, relatively new, listeners seeking to escape the intellectual rigours of Composer of the Week and The Early Music Show? R3 Chill with 2.5m listeners and Radio 3 with 0.5m?

It will trounce Radio Three listener numbers as this is exactly what many listeners want.

The audience for more lightweight and less challenging music is far in excess of the number of those who are dedicated to classical music. This station is not aimed for the latter. Most people will access music by the Internet and this is a reaction to streaming. Why listen to something new and unfamiliar is you can always hear music you love or at least similar ?


Most audiences do not want to be challenged or have any interest in exploring. I doubt if they really care who composed a piece of music or what it is. What the programme offers is inoffensive aural wallpaper . People do not want to be informed and I doubt that the majority will want anything other than to have music which matches a mood.

I doubt if the majority of people really listen to music . The next step will be advertising which will mean companies will want to dictate what music is played and to ensure that it does not compromise the product they have to sell. In the end, neither radio or on line stations will challenge streaming.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Thanks - you're in a position to understand what's involved.

The other briefs (see earlier post links) also have similar prices (& the submission deadline is tomorrow.)
As French Frank said, will they eat in to R3's budget?

This bit made me smile "After assessment, shortlisted suppliers will be invited to a pitch with the Commissioning Team via Microsoft Teams where we request that they do not use PowerPoint or play any video content." Why? Are they expecting them to act out a programme?

Yes that really intrigued me .Maybe it never works for them. It would take at least a weeks effort to write so lets say ten companies pitch - that’s the equivalent of £15,000 at least . The BBC internal costs might well be more but hidden below the line. I wouldn’t be surprised if the cost of the entire commissioning process is more than half the budget.

And that’s what wrong with the system - the amount of money that’s wasted doing pitch docs. Thing is this is a returning series so it might be worth the ridiculous effort. There was a time when a whole series would get commissioned on a single page. The waste of money and effort and talent inthe commisioning process is an industry disgrace and actually makes the programmes worse . I only write pitch docs if there’s a Greater than 30 per cent change of success. I spent with a Co producer the equivalent of £8,000 on a single doc idea last year but the target budget was £250,000 -then it starts making sense.(got to final stage - close but no cigar )

[AuntDaisy]

Yes that really intrigued me .Maybe it never works for them. It would take at least a weeks lets say ten companies pitch - that’s the equivalent of the whole budget. And that’s what wrong with the system - the amount of money that’s wasted doing pitch docs. Thing is this is a returning series so it might be worth the ridiculous effort. There was a time when a whole series would get commissioned on a single page. The waste of money and effort and talent inthe commisioning process is a disgrace and actually makes the programmes worse .

Or, perhaps some of the commisisoning "experts" work from home / holiday and have limited Internet connections?

I wonder... How did things work in the good old days, when Auntie had its own dedicated departments? To me, the programmes seemed so much better back then.

As an outsider, it does seem an unforgivable waste of time / talent / resources.
(There's at least one excellent dramatist / playwright on the forum that might comment about radio drama & changes.)

[Ein Heldenleben]

Or, perhaps some of the commisisoning "experts" work from home / holiday and have limited Internet connections?

I wonder... How did things work in the good old days, when Auntie had its own dedicated departments? To me, the programmes seemed so much better back then.

As an outsider, it does seem an unforgivable waste of time / talent / resources.
(There's at least one excellent dramatist / playwright on the forum that might comment about radio drama & changes.)

No problem with indies making BBC programmes - I’m one of them ( a very very small one ) . What I am criticising is the needlessly complex and expensive process when , let’s be honest , most programmes go to to a tiny group of established companies.

[cloughie]

I'd sooner have a R2 50s/60s/70s spin-off than a CfmScala style R3 spin-off unless the payback is R3 mainstream returns to providing what it should have been doing for the last 30 years.

[Master Jacques]

Why on earth is BBC Radio still pandering to populism, when the government pressing them to go down that route is dead and buried? This is so yesterday.

Dumbed-down dreck can return to being the preserve of commercial stations, leaving Auntie to spend OUR money on orchestras, and studio recordings of rare operas - as she did when she meant something to a proud nation.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

It sounds as though it’s going to be “Smoooooooth Classics at 7” but without the adverts.

[AuntDaisy]

No problem with indies making BBC programmes - I’m one of them ( a very very small one ) . What I am criticising is the needlessly complex and expensive process when , let’s be honest , most programmes go to to a tiny group of established companies.

Agreed about the Indies, given the chance they make cracking & innovative programmes - music, drama, features...
Does the needlessly complex & expensive process really just "justify" certain people's existence?

With my rose-tinted specs on, I yearn for the old days of the BBC drama rep. and the old style R3. I've given in on most of daytime R3 & totally on R3 & R4 drama - most of my listening is now old recordings... Sorry for maundering on.